Keys of Destiny
by Song Magic
Summary: In a universe parallel to that of Sora's, he never takes up the Key, instead, a young girl, her best friend, and her crush take on the parts of Kairi, Sora and Riku. (Check inside for full summary). Rated for future chapters.
1. Real or Not

Keys of Destiny

In a universe parallel to that of Sora's, he never takes up the Key, instead, a young girl, her best friend, and her crush take on the parts of Kairi, Sora and Riku. This is one girl's destiny, that original, never would have happened.

Disclaimer: Though this is based on, and uses the contents from Kingdom Hearts, I don't own it. I also do not own any disney places/characters or Square Soft characters. Characters that are unfamiliar our mine, as well as the idea. I know this chapter is basically the whole awakening thing done again, but it has purpose. Everything else will change after this, for the most part.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

NOTE: This chapter was redone, so most spelling errors should have been caught. I'm still looking for a grammar check site. If you have one email me.

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Real Or Not

Destiny Islands

The sun was high, and for Cocolyn, it just made her more tired than she already was. She wasn't sure if it was the heat, or the fact that the sun seemed merciless. Whatever it was, sitting on the sandy beach, looking at the water wasn't helping at all. She should be helping building the raft, but found she couldn't get up. She was drifting, drifting off to where she was never sure what was real or not. She fought to keep her eyes closed, but it wasn't working.

Cocolyn opened her eyes and blinked as she realized that she was falling through the sky. At first, she was overcome by pure fear, seeing as how she was dead afraid of falling. Her recent thoughts came to her, those of wondering what was real or not. What was the truth and what were the lies.

'I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real or not? I've been wondering if destiny is defined by our dreams, or by our actions. I want to know, what lies out there, other worlds, darkness, or light? Is this all just a game, and what are the stakes involved?'

Coco closed her eyes, somewhere deep down inside, she started to understand, that this was only a dream, no matter how real it felt. She opened her eyes to face the dream, and her fear, to find herself on solid ground. She was back on the beach, her feet slightly buried in the white sand from one of Destiny Islands' numerous beaches.

'It was only a dream Coco, that's all. Now, steady yourself, Lianna's standing right in front of you. You don't want her to see how weak you are because of a nightmare.'

Lianna was indeed standing in front of Coco, but not facing her. She was standing in the water, her long blond hair, in it's usual french braid, floating on the calm wind. Her orange T-shirt was meant to compliment the beginnings of womanhood as it started to show itself. Her blue jeans were slightly loose on her long legs. Lianna turned around, her brown eyes beckoning Cocolyn to come over to her. Cocolyn started to move forward, as a huge wave started to form. Lianna put her hand out for Coco to grab, adding on to the fact that she wanted Coco to come forward.

"Come on Coco, the water's great today!"

Cocolyn ran towards Lianna, only to be swept backwards and around by the giant wave crashing into her small body with it's full force. Cocolyn closed her eyes, than opened them. She looked forward to see Lianna still there, hand out. Coco started to swim with all her might, trying to grab Lia's hand. She couldn't hold her breath to much longer, and she let it all out. She emerged from the water a moment later, taking deep breaths, looking around frantically.

'This isn't real, or is?'

Again she was questioning what was real and what was not. She couldn't help it. She looked towards the island to see if Lia had swam there, only to see Drago standing there. his dark brown hair was more messy that normally, defying gravity by standing every which way. His sapphire blue eyes were filed with worry about something, but hinted happiness. Her was wearing black shorts and a white T-shirt-shirt. Coco ran over to him, and bent over panting.

"Where's...Lia?"

"On paopu island training, again."

Drago grinned at Coco, till he saw something falling from the sky. Coco followed Dragos glance and gasped in surprise. Someone was falling from the sky, about to crash into her. The figure had strangely familiar long red hair, pulled into a messy ponytail. The figure had blue jean shorts, and a red top that cut off just below the elbow. Ten bracelets hung from the girls wrist. A bright yellow anklet was seen above black sandals. Just moments before the figure, that was Coco herself, landed, she started to fall backwards into the water. She watched as Drago tried to reach for her, and was engulfed in darkness. She was falling for what seemed like hours, when she slowly turned to a standing position and landed on a black floor.

She looked at her feet, her black sandals blending into the darkness. She blinked, and the darkness of the floor started to turn into white doves, that flew off into the stormy looking sky. She watched them until the last one disappeared than gazed at the platform she was standing on.There was a picture of a woman, hair as black as the sky without the stars and moon, blood red lips, and snowy white skin. She was dressed in a blue and yellow dress. The picture seemed fragile, like a stained glass window. Somewhere, more in her head than anywhere, a voice spoke.

"So much to do, so little time. Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still closed."

'A little contradictory, telling me there's little time, but to take my time. What door is this person talking about?'

"Take a step forward, can you do it?"

'Of course I can take that step, but what awaits me. Will the floor collapse beneath my feet, is looks like a window. A fragile one for that matter. I can do this.'

Coco stepped forward. One step, two, than three, and she was now at the center of the platform. She started to take another step, when it started to shake. Coco fell on her behind, as three stone pillars, a little shorter than she was, rose out of the ground. Each one was bearing an item that appeared in a flash of light. Coco looked at them, there was a sword, a staff and a shield, each looking ready to be wielded by her. Cocolyn turned her head to look at each of the weapons, as the platform return to be unmoving and stable. She silently stood up, waiting for instructions.

"Power sleeps within you, give it form. Strength lies within you. Choose well."

Cocolyn approached the sword, which for her, symbolized strength. She tried to take it from where she was standing, but than jumped up to look at it. She picked it up, something about it called to her, make her want to take it.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power that you seek?"

Cocolyn nodded a yes, though the yes, than said it out loud. She turned around to look at the other two weapons.

"You're path is set"

The sword disappeared from her hands, leaving Coco with her eyes wide in surprise.

"Now, what will you give up in exchange?"

'There's always a price to pay, isn't there?'

Coco jumped off the platform, and turned towards the shield. She was never one for defense, knowing how to block and move away from attacks quickly. She scrambled up the pillar, and picked up the shield.

"The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. You give up this power?"

"Yes"

The shield disappeared.

"You've chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the guardian. Is this the form you choose?"

"Yes"

Coco jumped off that pillar than went to the center of the platform. Suddenly, the pillars started to fall, than vanish. The floor beneath Coco started to shatter, and once again she was falling into the darkness. This time, she could see as she approached another platform. This one too had a woman on it, and looked like stained glass window. This girl hand blond hair, by the looks of it, and a blue dress. Coco landed softly, and looked around, when she felt a weight in her hands. The sword had appeared in her hands.

"You've gained the power to fight. Use this power to protect yourself and others."

As Coco listened to the voice, four shadows appeared.

"There will be times you have to fight, keep you light burning strongly."

The moment the voice finished, the closest one attacked her. Coco moved out of the way, but not quick enough. Her arm was scratched, and bleeding light. She glared at the shadow, and attacked in. In three slashes, the shadow disappeared leaving behind three green balls. She picked one up, and felt her arm mending itself. The three shadows that remained disappeared, leaving Coco confused. She put her sword down a little, as a shadow appeared behind her.

"Behind You!"

The voice said, sounding off a warning. Coco turned around and sliced the shadow in half. She turned around and saw three more. This time, there was five of them left. She took down four of them in a series of swings and blows. She was breathing heavily, and about to attack the last one, when is dissolved into the platform. Coco sighed, but than looked at her feet. The whole platform was turning into the darkness that she'd been falling through. Coco tried to fight it, but eventually was sucked into the mess of darkness. She continued to fight it, and when she opened her eyes, she was on a new platform, with a heart shape on it.

There was a semi-transparent door on the middle of the platform. Coco went over to it, and placed a hand on it, trying to open it. It refused to budge. She turned around as a chest appeared, and the other end. She opened it and found a potion inside. She quietly tucked it away, than began to hack away at a crate that was there. When she took a final it and it broke, the door frame appeared.

"Hmm..."

Coco examined the door frame, than turned around to see a barrel now sitting in the middle of the platform. She picked it up and threw it. The doors to the doorway appeared. Coco went over to the door.

"Hopefully it opens now..."

She only said it out loud, hoping the voice would hear her and let her through. She grinned as the door open, and she was engulfed by a bright warm light. She stepped through, and when the light was gone, she found herself on Destiny Islands, on a piece of deck the kids had made for training. She looked around, and saw Tidus, Wakka and Seilphie standing at different points. Coco answered their questions, and the voice told her, her adventure would begin at midday. Coco silently laughed, until a bright light wrapped around her like a warm and fluffy blanket.

"The day you will open the door is both far and near."

Slowly, she opened her eyes, hoping that she was going to be on the beach, wide awake. She didn't have her wish, she was standing on a platform, and the heartless were surrounding her. She waited, wanting one to attack her, and not her attack it. Coco quickly turned around, sliced the air and a heartless, who'd jumped to attack her. That was the signal, all the heartless jumped or ran towards her. As she fought the heartless, she barely noticed the dull pain in her knee, or the sweat that was attempting to blind her. Finally, she'd finished off the last one by running it through. She started to lean on the sword, feeling tired. Sweet dropped from her face, on drop at a time, sometimes combining with other drops. Carefully, Coco bent down to pick up on of the strange green balls.

She started to relax, as a green light bristle over her skin, repairing scratches and bruises. She picked up another one, regaining the strength she had lost in the battle, and the energy that was ebbing away, came back full force. She than went over to a red chest that a heartless had left behind, and opened it. She grinned wickedly as she found another potion inside of it. She knew that she had this amount of potions in the real world, and the dream world. She looked up, to see a stair way leading over the bottomless darkness.

'If I fall from there, I'll be stuck falling and not even knowing if I'm going to hit the ground or not. It seems more like I'll just keep falling more than anything, and I can't test how far the fall really is. That's more scary than facing those shadowy thingys that keep attacking me.'

She found herself slowly and carefully climb the stairs, a feat which amazed the girl considering she was the most reckless one of the group. She stopped, only steps away from the next platform that would be her last one. She bent over and placed her hands on smooth cold glass.

'It feels so real, but so does the light throbbing in my knees from walking so long.'

She stood up straight, looked over the edge, than ran up the rest of the way of the platform. The stairs had disappeared from behind her, leaving her trapped. She went over to the edge, knowing that she would only see the long fall of darkness. She turned back around and walked towards the shining light. She stopped, soaking in it's warmth, till the voice started talking again.

"The closer you get to the light..."

Coco turned around to see her shadow start growing, and standing on it's own. It continued to grow.

"...the greater your shadow becomes."

The body of the shadow shot up in the air, as Coco watched, fearful and wide eyed.

"But don't be afraid."

'Yeah, right. I'm going to wet myself if this keeps up.'

Now the arms and legs hand grown bigger than her body. One giant foot came down, and a hand swept through the air.

"And don't forget..."

Now the monsters head appeared. Her shadow had become a large monster with a heart shape hole through the middle. It had a lot of moving hair, it raised it's hand for an attack, as Coco waited to know what she had to remember.

"Forget what?"

Coco called out, and dodged the fist that had gather some weird dark energy from the shadows around it. When the fist came in contact with the ground, a big pool of dark energy spread. The little shadows from earlier started to appear from it. Without thinking about what she was doing, Coco dived into the mess of darkness, and stuck the had of the creature. It seemed to let or a roar of pain, and left Coco smirking dangerously.

Dodge, attack the hand, dodge a shadow, attack the hand. That seemed to be her pattern of fighting, till she stopped in front of it. She was tiring, but would be rid of the shadow before she fell, weaken from exhaustion. The dark creature, which she though of as the dark side of life, seemed to start grinning and evil grin. Suddenly, Coco felt her feet being pulled into the platform, and something snaking it's way up her body.

"But don't be afraid"

Coco didn't care what the voice had to say, she had to escape. The sword had disappeared from her hand, her only protection in this dark and evil place.

"You hold the mightiest weapon of all."

Coco felt defenseless, which she had no choose the shield, but it was too late to take back her choices, to late to undo the mistakes. The darkness had crept up to her face, and as it tighten it's grip on her, she heard the voice speaking.

"So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door."

Now, her vision was completely black, as she felt something wet hit her face.

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I know, it's not the most original beginning, but the story will be similar, but there's new places, new faces. So of the things you'll see the same from the game:

Donald and Goofy

Traverse Town

Coliseum

Queen Minnie and Daisy

I'll probably use other familiar characters, but I need to use ones from other Disney movies. Don't get used to 5 and a quarter pages of writing. For the most part, the chapter will be shorter. I won't be on from the seventh to the fifteen, as I will be camping, but I'll work on chapters there, and maybe get some fresh inspiration for where this all leads.

Please also excuse spelling and grammar errors. For the most part, I can't avoid them. My computer only has crummy word programs, and I'm looking for a new site for spell and grammar check.

-Song Magic


	2. Preparing for the Stars

Keys of Destiny

Summary: In a universe parallel to that of Sora's, he never takes up the Key, instead, a young girl, her best friend, and her crush take on the parts of Kairi, Sora and Riku. This is one girl's destiny, that original, never would have happened.

Disclaimer: Though this is based on, and uses the contents from Kingdom Hearts, I don't own it. I also do not own any disney places/characters or Square Enix characters. Characters that are unfamiliar our mine, as well as the idea. Been there, said that, bought the t-shirt, so don't sue.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

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Preparing for the Stars

Cocolyn opened her eyes wide in surprise, as the salty water from the ocean splash on her unsuspecting face. At first, she just looked at the sky, once again pondering, what was reality, and what was not. It was midday, the only time that Drago was training near the Paopu tree in the park, his wooden staff going through a series of chops and swipes. Lianna on the other hand, would probably be trying to figure out another way to escape of the island, and into the other world out there. For her, she was normally at home, stuck on the computer, trying to finish up any last minute homework for school the next day. If she had finished it on the Friday night, which only happened when it rained, she'd be right along side Drago training with the wooden sword she'd made a long time ago.

Coco quickly stood up and swayed as she wipe the sand of her blue jean shorts. When she stopped swaying, she looked around. This was the same island the dream had been on, or at least the beginning of it.

'Real or not?'

She swatted her hand in the air, as if the thought was a fly she wanted to get rid of. For the last month, Coco had been plagued by dreams and nightmares, all concerning those dark shadows, and the whisper of two names she couldn't catch. The voices that whispers the name did not come from the shadows, oh no, they came from the voices of females, for the most part, they were elegant, each in it's own way. There were nights that the shadows pawed at her, trying to get her, scratching her, while other nights, they coward in fear of her. Only the dream she'd just had, had they truly attacked her outright and came near to her. Coco absent mined rubbed her arm and knees, both still sore from when she was attacked. When Coco realized what she was doing, she laughed, and walked to her small boat, to see if Lia was on Paopu Islands, the only island covered in Paopu trees.

She stepped into the small boat, taking a mental note to ask her mother for a new one, than quickly rowed away from Kids Island. Every island, in the area of Destiny Island, had it's own name. The main island took Destiny Island as it's name, and held many secrets Lia, Drago and Coco had yet to discover. Arriving at Paopu Island minutes later, Coco remarked that Lia's boat was not there. Coco looked up at the biggest Paopu tree and grinned. She wondered abot how many times she'd tried to climb that tree to get a Paopu fruit for her parents. The thoughts ended bitterly, because the night she had gotten one, her parents had gotten into a huge argument, worst than the ones they had before, and Coco's father left them. She'd been seven at the time, and it still hurt. Coco paddled away from Paopu Island, to the heart of Destiny Islands, the main island.

Approaching the main island, Coco noticed that the waterways were more filled than normal.She thought about why that would be possible, as she waited for three boats to untangle themselves from a collision. Her mind drifted off to the night before, when her mother had her up most of the night, to prepare for the festival of the stars. Every year, the island folk got together in the darkness of the night, with only the stars and moon overhead. They waited until the Light bearer came by to light candles that they held near for everyone in their family. They would end at Death Island, the island where all the dead were buried, and leave candles on family members graves. There were also members of the community, who dressed in complete black, they were there to blow out the candles unless they were in the burial area, or if the people were with the light bearer. Than a great dance would be preformed, by both the darkness and the light bearer. This was done to start a new year, and a new day.

Coco grinned, this year, she was the light bearer, and she could be so until she was twenty five. She was only fourteen years only, and the youngest light bearer yet. The reason why, was that she had learn the part since she was old enough to dance. There was five things she had to do in live, eat, sleep, dance, go to school, and enjoy time with her friends. Enjoying time with her friends normally meant that she also had to train, while throwing in dance moves here and there to furstrate them, reading, or goofing off. For her friends, it meant they played a special role in the festival, they were her guardians, her support, and they got her around the islands. They'd been practicing for weeks, and they would soon have to pull off the show. They had one more day to prepare. In her mind, she silently went over the fact that, each candle, represented a star, or a world. Herself, represented the one who would keep peace among the stars/planets. The darkness was those who would disrupt the balance, and the lights that were blown out, were the stars/planets that were destroyed. At the end of the dance, she would bring back all the stars/planets.

Finally, Coco paddled on, waving here and there to people who knew what role she played, or those who knew her by sight. Those who knew, kept it silent, seeing as how they were the one playing the darkness. After this year though, it'd be known that she was, so she'd play a ceremonial role all year at other festivals. Finally, she arrived at her house, on the bank of Destiny Island. the only part that Coco was dreading, was the final touches on her dress for the night's show. The skirt was green, longer at the sides, and did an upside down v for the front and the back. Underneath, she'd be wearing her blue jean shorts. Her top would be a white spaghetti strap, and she'd be wearing a red cloak. She'd also be carrying a special staff, that had a bright glowing blab on the end. Now, she was to meet with Lia, Drago, Yuffie and Tifa, all of her guardians for the night, to go over the plans. They'd all be trying on their costumes, than setting out to retrieve the staff.

"Mom, I'm home! Yuf, Tif, Lia, Drago, I'm here!"

"'Bout time you did too, we've been waiting forever!"

"Aww, Lia, it wasn't that long."

Coco grinned at Drago, as Lia scowled at Drago, for taking Coco's side. Tifa and Yuffie both entered the room, to see Lianna scowling at Drago.

"Well, come on Coco, let's get your costume on. We need to leave in an hour!"

Coco grinned at her friends. Yuffie was wearing long red pants, that looked more like a skirt, and a light red tank top. She also wore a green cloak, that hid her shurikens from sight. She carried a red pole, to be used to 'fight' off the darkness. Tifa was wearing a similar style, only all in blue. She too, held a blue pole, but carried nothing extra. Lianna wore a yellow one, but carried a realistic wooden sword. Drago, being the only male, wore pants that were more suitable for a male, and was in the colour of green. He carried a green shield, with gold on the edges. He pulled the green hood of the cloak over his head, and looked at Coco.

"We're all ready, it's just you, oh dear light bearer, who needs to prepare. You have, fifty minutes."

Coco looked at Drago, and shook her head, it would only take her two minutes to get her costume on properly. So, she decided to make sure they had all they needed for the night, and for the next day.

"Do we have lots of food?"

"Yes"

"Sleeping bags"

"Yes, we have the extra blankets, the boat repair kit, the extra staffs, sword and shield. We have the tent, the equipment, and the pump for the air mattresses. We're ready."

"First aid kit?"

"..."

Coco looked at everyone, and shook her head. Of all the things they could forget, that one, was one of the most important. She glared at them all in turned, than looked back at Drago, who was in charge of their supplies.

"Umm...I'll go get it. Fourtyfive minutes and counting."

Drago and Yuffie went to serach for the first aid kit, while Coco sat down on a bench. She looked at Tifa and Lia.

"Anything you have to say?"

Both girls shook their heads no, and left the room. Coco pulled off her top, that was covered in sweat, and slipped on the white spaghetti strap top. She than pulled on her green skirt, and twirled around. It was perfect. She than fastened her cloak, which she would have to wear until she arrived at Moonlight Island, the smallest island of them all, inhabited by two people, the staff keepers. She applied her make up, grimacing the whole time, and walked into the other room. She had purposely taken her time, just to annoy her friends. It had worked on Yuffie and Lia, but left Tifa and Drago grinning.

"Well, let's get going. It is time, right?"

"We still have fifteen minutes, sorry about your luck there."

"Let's have something to eat than, please."

Drago and Coco looked at Yuffie, who'd interjected the food comment.

"Fine, let's grab some supper."

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was in a boat, their hoods hiding their faces. The night's sky was slightly cloudy, revealing stars here and there, as the moon hid it's face behind a big cloud. Voices could be heard drifting through windows, as people started to leave candles out, to light the way of the light bearer. Children stood in doorways, waving to the light bearer and her companions. Behind fences and houses, the people who acted the part of the darkness lurked. Once they reached the main waterway, a battle would ensue, the first of many along the way. Each year, the first fighting area was changed, so no one, except the darkness, knew where it was. Coco and her friends didn't even know, so everyone was on alert.

To those watching, the light bearer seemed nervous, tightening her hands, than loosening them. Her guardians, were just as worried, hands grasped tightly on paddles, sword, shield, and staffs. Every time the light bearer moved, it was to the right or left. She waved her hand at the people, as if she was the real light bearer, going to retrieve the staff to save the stars. Her hand stopped in mid air, as something black darted past a candle, blowing it out.

"Prepare yourselves" Coco mutter to her guardians, her eyes trying to follow the dark person, though unable to. They were almost to the main waterway, one of the quickest ways to Moonlight Island. This time, Tifa spotted the next darkness. They stopped paddling, and waited. Coco mentally went over the fact, that until tomorrow night, she had to call her friends by their colours, or she'd reveal her identity.

"Green, shield up. Red, get ready, same with you Blue. Staffs up. Yellow, stick close to Green."

Her voice, somehow changed for the night, rang out loudly and clearly. The darkness knew they'd been spotted, so they started their attack. Around her, Coco felt her friends form a circle to protect her. At first, only the wind playing in Coco's skirt could be heard, than, a paddle hitting the water. Yuffie/Red pulled her staff up, ready to attack. Tifa/Blue, looked around, knowing the sound came from Lianna/Yellow's area. Lianna, besides Drago/Green, prepared to meet the first enemy. Than it happened, three of the darkness attacked Lia, four attacked Yuffie, two attacked Drago, and five attacked Tifa. From the shore, a scream went through the air, bring more people to witness the first fight of the night.

Lia hit a darkness over the head, and elbowed another in the stomach in the same move. Drago blocked an attack from hitting Lianna in the back. Yuffie swept her staff behind the knees of the darkness, knocking them into the water. Tifa's staff was locked with a darkness' staff, as she kicked one away. Coco prepared to defend herself, it the need may come. As quickly as it started, a loud whistle was heard, and the darkness retreated.

"Move out, now. We need to get to the staff before anything else happens!"

Again, Coco's voice rang out, hushing the worried crowd. They started to move again.

Everyone was tired, even Coco, who was shivering from having to jump in the water to escape the darkness. It had been in plain view of some of the islanders, so it had to be done. Had it been in a more quiet area, the darkness would have backed off, leaving them be. It had always been planned that way. Finally, Tifa let out a squeak of excitement.

"There it is, there it is! Moonlight Island, dead ahead!"

Everyone looked up and grinned. They could finally rest, and at dawn, they continue to get the staff. They arrive back at their boat, in time to start the festival of the stars. When they landed, everyone grabbed something for camping out. As Coco grabbed the tent, ready to pitch it, and hand rested on her shoulder. It was Drago's hand, and everyone was watching.

"Coco, you need to get into dry clothing for now, and you need to rest. You swam pretty far before we could catch up, you must be dead exhausted."  
  
"I'm fine, and I'll change after the tent is up."

"Coco..."

"I'm helping Drago."

"Fine."

Coco stood up, than swayed dangerously. She dropped the bag with the tent in it, and started to fall backwards. Strong hands grabbed her, and Lianna looked at her.

"Rest Coco, that's all you can do at the moment. You need to be strong for tomorrow."

"Fine...I'll rest."

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Well, I lied sort of. I didn't expect this chapter to be four pages long. Only an page and a half less than the last chapter. That and we saw Yuffie, who, for some reason, wanted to be in this fanfic. Now, to my reviews.

Heart of Friendship - Thank you so much for the compliment. Here's the next chapter, sooner than I though. Besides, camping out will help me get the mood for the next chapter right. I can't wait to write it.

Siyengo - What burns about it? I'm still continuing if you like it or not.

To all those people out there who read but don't review, review so I know your thoughts. I'd like to see some imput about what you would like to see, what needs to be improved (other than spelling and grammar, I know that one already!), what you hate about it, and what you like about it!

A bientot,

-Song Magic


	3. Feeling So Numb

Keys of Destiny

Summary: In a universe parallel to that of Sora's, he never takes up the Key, instead, a young girl, her best friend, and her crush take on the parts of Kairi, Sora and Riku. This is one girl's destiny, that original, never would have happened.

Disclaimer: Though this is based on, and uses the contents from Kingdom Hearts, I don't own it. I also do not own any disney places/characters or Square Enix characters. Characters that are unfamiliar our mine, as well as the idea. Been there, said that, bought the t-shirt, so don't sue.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

----------------------------

Feeling So Numb

The trees danced silently on a breeze, beneath the stars, bathing in what little light the moon gave off. The darken clouds moved on that same breeze, covering the moon, than fleeing off to the create a full blown storm. The trickling of a stream, the footsteps of the guardians, was the only sounds of the quiet night. As for the light bearer, she sat near the beginnings of a fire pit, shivering in soaking wet clothing, watching her friends set up the camp. In fifteen minutes, only one tent was put up, and the fire pit was created. Another ten minutes, and the fire was roaring, and Drago's small tent was sitting besides the girls' larger tent. Now, everyone was running around, trying to find the plastic box of clothing, or setting out the sleeping bags.  
  
"I've found the extra blankets."  
  
"Took you long enough Tifa. You know what Drago, I thought _you_ were the organized one here, that's why we put _you_ on packing, and not me."

"Look it's not _my_ fault that the people who played the darkness tried to dump all our stuff. You're one grumpy person when you're wet and cold."  
  
"Oh, quit fighting you two!"

Coco and Drago both looked at Yuffie, glaring daggers, only to have her duck behind a tree. Lianna looked up, the plastic box in her hand, her eyes with a serious expression peering from behind them. Everyone knew the look well, the one where only Lia was doing the work, and no one else. It was the one where, if nobody helped her, there would be hell to pay later. Yuffie, Drago, and Tifa slowly walked over to the boat, getting the last of the supplies into the tents. Coco stood up shaking, and pulled out another outfit for her as the light bearer. Her longed sleeved top was royal blue, with white butterflies embroidered on it. She also choose out a black skirt, with white flowers flaring up from the bottom. She pulled on a pair of black and blue slippers, than waddled into the big tent.

'So much has happened lately.'

Coco went over the orange sleeping bag, and huddled inside of it. She heard her friends light footsteps as they entered.

'So much more is about to happen, I know it.'

She could hear her friends starting to settle in for the few hours of sleep they were going to have. Coco wanted to join them in sleep, but two things were keeping her awake. The first one, was the weird dreams, she no longer wanted to have. Her other factor was that her mind was racing with thoughts about the future.

'When tomorrow comes, I'll start the next leg of my journey. I'll take up a new status in my town, that of the light bearer. When I take that staff tomorrow, things will change. I already know that things are changing. I've seen it at school.'

Coco's thoughts drifted off to school, just days before.

_"Coco, come sit with my friends and I at lucnh."_

'I sit with my friends...'

_"Coco, will you be my partner today?"_

'I'm Lia's partner, no one elses.'

_"Hey, Coco, do you want to go to the dance with me next Friday? It will be me and you, and we'll have lots of fun."_

'I don't want to go, not with him. I don't care about the football players. I don't care about being popular.'

_"You know Coco, you should do more with you're hair, it look so pretty up."_

'I only care for what's on the inside, nothing more'

_"Coco, you're such a great person"_

'Wasn't it only yesterday she was calling me a bitch?'

_"Coco, come play on my team."_

'I was always picked last, till now. Everyone knows I'm the light bearer, but they don't. They knew I had an important role in the festival, just not what it was...'

Coco silently drifted off to sleep.

In her dream, she was at school. The blue and grey lockers were giving her the usual morning glare. She silently twirled her lock to the numbers 4-29-10, than pulled.

'Not again, the thing is jammed, I'm going to be late!'

She pulled on it hard, but it didn't budge. She looked at Drago, but he ignored her, she turned to Lianna, only to get glared at. She didn't understand, they were always nice to her. With another pull, filled with anger, the lock came undone. She grabbed her math textbook, as Yuffie and Tifa started to walk by. She quickly closed her locker, than locked her lock. She started to walk beside them, than got a feeling of being unwelcome.

"Coco's hasn't talked to us since she's become so popular. I also heard she's changing her guardians for this years trip to the retrieve her staff. As she said in her own words 'I need people who can actually fight, and not make me have to jump in the river'. The nerve of her!"

Coco stopped in her tracks, the words piercing her like bards. She wanted to tell Yuffie, Tifa, Lia and Drago it wasn't true, but than she was surrounded by other people. They were acting as her friends, and all Coco could feel, was numb.

Coco shoot up in her sleeping bag, hearing Drago's light snores coming from his tent. She looked at her watch, it was 3:27 in the morning. She couldn't shake the numb sense of feelings she had from the dream. In her mind she was thinking that it was only a dream, but her body didn't want to shake them feeling away. She laid back down, staring at the black ceiling of the tent. About an hour later she drifted back to sleep.

6:15 rolled around, as Lia shook Coco awake. For the most part, everything had been cleaned up, except Coco's sleeping bag, the tent she was in, and food that Tifa was cooking. Normally, Coco would have greeted a day like this with a smile to annoy her friends, but the numb feeling hadn't left her. She felt more like a robot, doing everything she was told, only because she was. Everyone thought it was her nerves, but knew better. They ate a silent breakfast of sausages, and started the hike after the food was cleaned up. Drago came up beside Coco during the walk.

"What's wrong Coco, you're not yourself."

Coco looked at Drago, than in a toneless reply, she said exactly what she needed to say.

"I just feel numb, because of a bad dream."

-----------------------------

Almost as long as the other chapter. Well, I'm back from the evil camping trip, where my hands and ankles were eaten alive by mosquitoes. Every time my friends and I killed one, we'd start singing 'Another Bites the Dust'

Heart of Friendship - I love my story to, it's great isn't it? As for camping, there was some fun points, but for the most part I was miserable. Not to mention my best friend fell in love with my brother's and mine friend. That was the last thing I expected to happen, and now they're playing my playstation 2 together.

Viktor Mayrin - My creativity must be back than. The plot line was popped into my head in a moment of boredom. As for my little flamer down there, I'm using it to roast my hot dogs, I don't like marshmallows, or I'd have said that. I don't plan on trashing my story, I love it too much. Have fun reading D.N. Angels volume 1 & 2, and I can't wait for another chapter for one of your stories!

My email is now visible, but I'll warn you, I don't check that one every day. Any question you get after reviewing (or is you have troubles reviewing) can be sent there. I survived camping again this year, so I'll have more chapters to write soon!

-Song Magic


	4. What it Takes

**Keys of Destiny**

Summary: In a universe parallel to that of Sora's, he never takes up the Key, instead, a young girl, her best friend, and her crush take on the parts of Kairi, Sora and Riku. This is one girl's destiny, that original, never would have happened.

Disclaimer: Though this is based on, and uses the contents from Kingdom Hearts, I don't own it. I also do not own any disney places/characters or Square Enix characters. Characters that are unfamiliar our mine, as well as the idea. Been there, said that, bought the t-shirt, so don't sue. It's been the same thing since the beginning!

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

What it Takes

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors  
Leading down into my core  
Where I've become so numb  
Without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there and lead it home_

-Evanescene, Bring Me To Life

"I just feel numb, because of a bad dream."

Drago looked at Coco, completely surprised and taken back by what she said. Coco never let her dreams get to her, no matter how bad they got. He couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the nightmare she had been getting continuously.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Coco looked at Drago, listening as he tried to word the sentence out, so as not to offend her. This would have bothered her, had it been any other day. It would have bothered her if she could feel any emotion what so ever. No, she felt numb, and that was where it was going to stay.

'I don't have what it takes, and I don't care anymore.'

"Coco? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, let's just keep going."

Tifa and Yuffie looked at each other and shrugged, they only wanted to finish this leg of the journey before noon. Drago walked up beside Tifa, and started a silent conversation with her with a look of worry on his face. Lianna glared at Coco, than grabbed her shoulder as she walked by.

"What's your problem Coco?"

"None of your business."

Lia glared at Coco again, annoyed with Coco's change of attitude. Lia's eyes were cold, but something seemed lost in Coco's to her.

"Damn it Coco, just tell me already. Don't you dare push any of us away."

"Li-" Tifa, Drago and Yuffie tried to interrupt, only to have her turn to them.

"Don't you dare say a word. I know what you're going to say, so you better all hear me out. Coco, if you don't snap out of it now, I will personally make sure you don't get to the Staff of the Stars. The way you're acting, really makes me think that you don't have what it takes to be the light bearer. Sure, you know the moves, you know the routine, but are you putting you're heart into it?"

Coco only looked at Lia, and took a step forward, her expression remain the same. Lia's anger finally got to her, and she slapped Coco acrossed the face, leaving a huge red mark. Everything seems to go silent the moment Lia's hand made contact with Coco's face. For Coco, the wheels of emotions were starting to work again, and the first thing she felt was burning hot pain.

'For crying out loud...that hurt! Wait...I felt that, maybe I can do this. Maybe I really do have what it takes. I just needed to get past the numbness of the dream.'

"Thanks Lia"

Everyone looked at Coco, as if she was crazy. She was thanking Lia for hitting her and leaving a giant red mark. Most of all, Lia was the one who was surprised. She thought that Coco was going to hit her back, or send her back to the camp.

"Why?"

"I needed that. I've also though of something, we've just left our supplies out for the darkness to steal. Anyone volunteering to watch over it?"

Lia raised her hand quietly, with a small grin on her face. This was perfect for her, giving her time to calm herself, and figure out another way to get away from the Islands. She wanted to explore the worlds, and would do so at any cost.

"I will, I need to calm down. Besides, you won't need me, not till we leave the Island. For now, Yuffie can take my sword."

"You sure Lia?"

"Positive"

"Than it's settled."

Lia handed over her wooden sword over to Yuffie, and Yuffie exchanged her staff for the sword. The group parted ways, Lia heading back to the small dock, the rest heading towards a small cottage in the distance, where the Staff Protectors lived. The small cottage was made out of wood, the roof painted a faint green. The white pain of the walls were peeling away, reveal the dark wood underneath it. A small garden of vegetables was in the front. An older lady wearing a black dress was standing outside the cottage.

"Mrs. Trepe, I'm an Coco, the current chosen one for the Staff of Stars."

"I know very well who you are Coco. There is one thing, you are missing a guardian. May I ask where this person is?"

"Watching over our supplies, to make sure the darkness doesn't take it. She is very capable of doing that by herself."

"Very well than, we're going off to the cave. Quistis, it's time for you to take up the part of a Protector, so come on out."

From the darken doorway of the cottage, a brown boot revealed itself. Looking up, Everyone saw a 15 year of girl, wearing and orange skirt, and a brown and orange top. She held a deadly looking weapon that none of the group recognized.  
  
"Must I? You know very much that I would prefer to be...something else."

"You're a Trepe, our ansectors have always done this role, since the time of the darkness. You know that as well as I do, now quit your pouting."

"This is so furstrating, but I'll do it."

"Than off we go. Quistis, if you fail me, you'll never have a chance at SeeD"

"Yes mother."

Coco sighed, and leaned against a small fence. She could see times when Lia and her mother were fighting over something similar.  
  
_"Lianna, you are going to finish school before you even dare leave these Islands."_

_"Mom, I'm going to leave soon. Most likely after the festival."_

_"You would be betraying Cocolyn if you did that. Until she either chooses new guardians, or gives up being the Light Bearer, you can not leave. It's your duty."_

_"I need to get away from here. I'm sick of this place, and Coco is too. Drago, her and I all want to leave these Islands. You'll see mom, we'll leave, and there will be no stopping us. We're going to go see other worlds."_

_"You are not, until you are eighteen. Cocolyn's and Drago's mothers have said that much. Drago's dad agrees with his mother. Get your head out of the sky Lianna."_

_"As much as I'd hate to interrupt, but Lia and I are going to be late for school if we don't leave now."_

Coco sighed, and started to follow Quistis and Mrs. Trepe up the long winding path. The group was quiet, waiting for the time when each would play their role. Yuffie hit different trees as they went by, leaving small marks on the trees. Finally, they arrived at the cave, it loomed over them, but instead of darkness in the path they were going to take, torches that looked as if they never blew out lit the way.

"Why do the torches burn just so?"

Tifa asked as she looked at the torches closely.

"It's a fire spell, or so they say. According to legend, when the Staff of the Stars first appeared in this cave, torches that hand to be lit by hand, started to burn on their own. If they go out, it means that the darkness has appeared, and it did so, when the first of the darkness was found."

Mrs. Trepe smiled, and nodded in her daughter's direction. Coco kicked her foot nervously, and took the first step into the cave. They walked forward silently, their footsteps echoing off the walls, ceiling and ground. Finally they came to a door.

"Tifa, I think it is. It's you're job to watch this door, make sure that no one enters, expect Lia. Mother, since Lia is not here, it will be your job to watch over the second door. Yuffie, as the sword holder, you protect the third door, and Drago you protect the last one. I will enter with Coco, so that she can obtained the Staff of Light. After you leave, I will watch this cave. Should the torches go out, I will have to find you, and tell you."

Everyone but Tifa enter the through the door. Mrs. Trepe stopped at the next door, and picked up an extra staff that laid on the ground. Yuffie stopped at the third door, with a be careful Coco. Drago took up his post at the fourth door, and gave Coco a lopsided grin. Now, only Quistis and Coco were left, as Coco pushed opened the last door. The room, was completely dark, and Quistis closed the door behind her, taking the only bit of light out of the room. It was complete and total darkness.

"Coco, you must find the Staff of the Stars by yourself in the dark. I will stand by the door, should you need to give up, or should someone try to enter."

_"Take a step forward, can you do it?"_

Coco's eyes widen, as the voice from her dream entered her head. She nodded and took the step forward.  
  
_"Keep going, I will tell you when to stop."_

Coco kept walking forward, completely unaware, that Quistis was watching her in awe, Coco seemed to know exactly where she was going. Quistis had spent long hours in the room, learning to see the outlines of her parents as they walked around.  
  
_"Turn to you're right, take three steps, than stop. The Staff of the Stars will be there. This is the basic form of a much needed weapon. Don't be afraid."_

Coco did as the voice told, and her hand touched something smooth. The moment it did, light burst in, leaving Quistis and Coco them blind for a few minutes. When Coco could see, she looked at the Staff. It had a glowing blue glob at the end. The rest of it was black, with gold. Towards the top was a golden flower, the middle was completely black, but of a lighter shade. On the end, there was a heart, with two lines intertwining, than stopped above a smaller heart.

"That's a first"

"What is?"

"The blinding light, it has never happened before. That was a , Quistis, do you two know why the lights gutted for a second?"

Coco and Quistis exited the room and looked at Drago.

"When did it happen?"

"A few minutes ago"

"Must have been when Coco grabbed the staff. That thing has never been so bright before. You know what Coco, your great great-something or other grandmother must have been the first Light Bearer."

"Maybe"

The group made their way back to the entrance, all pondering over how come the Staff of the Stars had reacted how it did. They got back to the entrance, and looked at Quistis.

"It's here I leave you, I hope I do not see you again tonight."

"We hope the same Protector Quistis. Until we meet again."

"Till we meet again."

The group started the hike back to the boat, it was noon, they would have to leave again soon. Quistis watched them, as she felt in the bottom of her stomach, she'd be seeing them again way to soon.

Nice long chapter, I keep writing them like that. Any ways, there's some foreshadowing, but we all can guess what's going to happen.

**Viktor Mayrin** - Love your chapter for Lighter than Darkness. You know what, you're making me blush, with your praise!

**Heart of Friendship** - Are you and Viktor in a plot to make me turn bright red with all the praise? I'm glad I inspired you, and I'm very thankful that you're dedicating that chapter to me. As for Flamers, their flames are used to roast my hot dogs.

Check out my web site at a later date, and there will be updates! You'll have to wait for now though.

-_Song Magic_


	5. Light in the Dark

**Keys of Destiny**

Summary: In a universe parallel to that of Sora's, he never takes up the Key, instead, a young girl, her best friend, and her crush take on the parts of Kairi, Sora and Riku. This is one girl's destiny, that original, never would have happened.

Disclaimer: Though this is based on, and uses the contents from Kingdom Hearts, I don't own it. I also do not own any disney places/characters or Square Enix characters. Characters that are unfamiliar our mine, as well as the idea. Been there, said that, bought the t-shirt, so don't sue. It's been the same thing since the beginning!

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

--------------------------------

Light in the Dark

Tifa and Yuffie looked between each other, nervous and worried. Ever since the minute or two of darkness in the cave, they both had a funny feeling that tonight would not end well at all. The whole way back to the boat was exchanged in meaningful glances. Coco and Drago rolled their eyes each time they exchanged a glance. The closer they got to the boat, the more Coco traced the lines on her staff. Something was making her nervous, and she wasn't sure what it was. Each step felt as if another brick of burden was being added to her shoulders. When she reached the boat, she felt as if ten had been added, just by getting there. Lia was sitting on the boat, looking as calm and collected as she ever did. She didn't look like she was afraid anything would happen.

"Hey, do you mind if I talk to Coco alone? Just for a moment?"

"No"

"Not at all."

"Sure"

Coco followed Lia into a small clearing, as the dark clouds gathered leaving it like a starless night. The only light was Coco's staff, and the flash lights of the others. Lia turned towards Coco.

"Do you want to leave now? Who cares about being the light bearer, when we could go see other worlds."

"Lia, what are you talking about?"

"If you open your heart to the darkness Coco. If you do that, we can see whatever worlds we want."

"What about our parents? Our friends?"

Coco looked up at the dark forbidding sky. She was sure this wasn't natural, as the darkness crept towards her, trying to get into the light her staff made. Lia stepped out of the light, and put her hand out. She was far enough away, Coco would have to walk to reach it.

"Come with my Coco. Just drop the staff, and take my hand. The next thing you'll know, we'll be on another world!"

Coco quickly step forward, her staff still in hand. She took another step, only to fall, and let her staff roll just out of her reach. The light from it dimmed, and the darkness started to try and swallow her. She started to struggle, reaching out for Lia's hand, or her staff. Just as the darkness was about to swallow her whole, she felt the end of the staff with her fingers.

'This is it, I'm done for. All my hard work is for nothing.'

_Don't be afraid. The key to your problem will help you find your way into the light again._

'That voice! Wait, she said light. Light conquers darkness, just like the staff burns brightly even in the darkness.'

Another burst of light surrounded her. The light itself was warm and welcoming, leaving her feeling more alive than she had just seconds ago. As the light faded away, she looked at her hands. No longer was she holding the Staff of Light, but instead, a large key. The hand was yellow, and a key chain that was shaped like a mouse head hung from the bottom. The Key itself was silver, with an end that looked more like a crown, than an actual key end. Around her, the shouts of her friends echoed, slicing through the silence.

"Lia..."

Coco turned around, not seeing Lia. The spot where Lia had been was deserted, until the fimiliar little darkness creatures started to appear. One, that she had not seen sneaking up on her, grabbed her ankle. Her eyes widen, than she jab the creature with the key.

_Keyblade..._

Coco brought her keyblade up, and got into a stance to fight the creatures. She slashed at the first one as it jumped towards her, than turned around to slice another one.

_Keyblade..._

Glaring at the last of the shadows, Coco brang the blade up, and swept it downwards, cutting the shadow in half. She stops, taking a few deep breaths, letting the sounds of her friends voices calm her.

_Keyblade._

"Coco! I've found her!"

Drago ran over to Coco, and looked at her, his eyes filled with worry. His eyes scanned her for scratches and bruises, until they landed on the giant key. He starts looking around for her staff and Lia.

"Where's Lia, and the Staff of Light?"

"I don't know Drago, I really don't."

"What is that?"

"I don't know."

Drago looks at the key closely, than pulls out a small heart key chain out of his pocket and throws it to Coco.

"Here, take this, it might come in handy one of these days."

Coco catches and looks at it closely, and her eyes widen.

"I thought you mother gave you this before she died. You said it was like your heart and good luck charm to you."

Drago shrugs, than looks up as a scream sounds through the woods. The two look at each other, and take off in the direction of the scream.

-------------------

**Heart of Friendship** -Here it is, after how long? I've just been busy with school and my art. I haven't had the time to check out your fanfics, but I'll get there eventually.

**Vortex Inferno - **Thanks for your review. I planned on making this different. I love seeing new faces for reviews, and don't worry I plan on keeping this up, and getting it off the Island soon, next chapter most likely.

My web site is going to be updated at some point in time, most likely when I get more time.

_-Song Magic_


	6. Worlds Beyond

1**Keys of Destiny**

Summary: In a universe parallel to that of Sora's, he never takes up the Key, instead, a young girl, her best friend, and her crush take on the parts of Kairi, Sora and Riku. This is one girl's destiny, that original, never would have happened.

Disclaimer: Though this is based on, and uses the contents from Kingdom Hearts, I don't own it. I also do not own any Disney places/characters or Square Enix characters. Other movies may be included in this story to serve for different purposes. (See end notes, number 1) Characters that are unfamiliar our mine, as well as the idea. Been there, said that, bought the t-shirt, so don't sue. It's been the same thing since the beginning!

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

_The voice from the first dream_

This chapter goes out to Viktor, the all powerful (soon to be) emperor of this planet. This is my gift to you (and yes, I'm sitting her laughing really hard). Thank you so much for all you've done. I know I've been moody lately and what not, and you've put up with it and made me feel much better. I owe you one. Thanks for editing my edited version.

Worlds Beyond

_Running..._

_Running..._

Trees flew by, the leaves hitting their faces, leaving small scratches. Yet still they continued to run. Their breaths caught in their throats, and the darkness kept clawing at their legs. The break in the forest came up, where the scream had come from. Coco and Drago were almost there when a harsh wind hit them. It's icy fingers ran along their bones, pushing them back towards the darkness, yet they still continued to push themselves forward until there was nothing beneath their feet. Coco blacked out, only to awaken in the eye of the storm. Everything she had known was starting to change.

Coco opened her eyes, finding herself in the middle of what looked to be the Destiny Islands. Everything was in ruins, and all that was left was a small bit of an island, and broken pieces of wood. Everything was destroyed, and it left her feeling like her dreams had been broken. She felt cold and numb inside, knowing everything she'd known was now a mess. That wasn't the worst of her worries though, because there was a large shadow lurking just off what was left, in the swirling darkness that was engulfing what was left of her beloved island.

No one was in sight. A feeling of freezing cold water washed over her, ice cubes and all. Where was Yuffie, always willing to help her fight her way out of a bad situation? Where was Tifa and her attitude to help brighten up her worst of moods? Where were her parents, whom had supported her, even if they didn't love each other? Where was Leeann, her best friend, and only rival? Where was Drago, her secret love since they had been six years old? Coco had never felt so numb before, having realized that she would probably never see her friends again. Her mind slowly went back to having blacked out, the feeling that Drago was pulled somewhere else, somewhere far away from what was left of the islands.

She didn't know what had brought it all, but she knew it had something to do with the strange huge key that she held tightly in her hand. As she turned the large shadowy creature was rising on a side of the floating island. Somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew that this was the creature that had destroyed everything.

Coco closes her eyes, and clutched the key with both her hands. Slowly and carefully, she brought it up, ready to fight the creature that had destroyed everything sheâⓊ™d known. A piece of paper flew by her, towards a large growing ball in the sky. It seemed to be sucking everything that was left, bit by bit. She knew she only had so much time to defeat whatever the thing was, but she planned on bringing it down, even if she had to go down herself. With that grim thought in mind, she opened her eyes, just in time to see Darkside's large hand coming down towards her. She quickly moved backwards, using a dance step she'd learned. The moment the hand hit the ground, it caused dark waves to flow from its finger tips.

The hand that strikes the ground is weaker. Whispered a voice. Go for the hand. It's the only way you can defeat it. Remember that you are the one who will open the door.

Upon hearing the voice in her head, she charged towards the hand. She quickly slashed it, than moved to avoid the small black creature that was rising from the darkness, the Shadow Heartless. Knowledge of the strange creature had simply appeared in her mind when she had seen it. She slashed at it with one hand, and reversed her strike to hit the hand once more. Again, more Shadow Heartless where rising from the pool of darkness that was now slowly receding. The reason was that the creature from her nightmare was pulling its hand away. She attacked the hand a few more times, when she felt something hit her in the back. She already knew that she'd been scratched, only enough to cut the skin that had been exposed by the wind.

She stumbled forward, but pivoted and with a quick movement, she'd brought the Heartless down. She quickly grabbed one of the glowing green balls, feeling it heal the cuts she had managed to acquire. Now her attention was back to the overlarge creature, the small Shadow Heartless where done for the time being. She knew her emotions were still numbed, but she felt one thing. It was a strange determination she would find herself relying on throughout her adventure.

Again, Darkside started his attack on Coco, only to have her dodged it again, and go in to attack relentlessly. More knowledge of the giant Heartless came unbidden into her mind. She was breathing hard, her body tired, but her mind was ignoring that, calculating how much longer it would take for Darkside to attack again. She didn't have to wait long, as the hand came down. It was than that Coco felt like everything was moving in slow motion. The hand was falling, and she felt like she was walking instead of running. She could see herself dragging the tip of the Keyblade on the ground, and watched as she brought it up, than slice downwards to bring the last blow.

She quickly rested the Keyblade on her shoulder, as what was left of the island started to shake. It was than she was hit with the speed of the real world. Everything around her was breaking, as Darkside started to fade into the swirling darkness. The ground beneath her feet was crumbling, she wanted to panic, but a strange calm had settled over her. She defeated Darkside, and had defended what was left of her home. She now knew that this was how she wanted her life to end, not as an old lady dying in her bed, surrounded by friends. Instead she wanted to die defending something she loved, or people that needed her to defend them. She was exhausted, and found herself meeting the ground because of it.

Yuna brought her Summoner's staff down in a gracefully circle, feeling at peace with herself. The city of Atlantis was at peace, Milo and Kida thriving with their city. Though the city and its people were not aware of what was going on outside, Yuna had a vague idea. She'd appeared there one day, after having fallen asleep. The day before, she and her friends, were battling fiends, and heading towards the second temple of their journey.

Since she'd arrived, she had been helping people by healing, working her way up to the top. Her time as a Summoner was helping her now, but she was starting to feel useless. Later in the morning, she was to visit Kida and Milo. They had business for her to attend to, healing a friend from the world above them. It would be in the central palace, in Kida's inner chambers.

It was there that she'd meet Kayley, a brown haired girl from a place called Camelot. It was not long after Yuna had first arrived in the great city of Atlantis. Both girls were in awe over the technology that was used within the city. They'd become good friends as they explored the machines that the city used so much. For once, Yuna was able to leave the teachings behind, and explore the possibilities that it created.

Until she was to leave her favourite spot by the river, Yuna was expecting a quiet morning. She had planned to stretch, practice the techniques she'd learned, and relax. She was mentally plotting out her morning when Kayley running towards her, an anxious look on her face.

"Yuna! Yuna! There you are." Her voice was strained.

"What's wrong?"

"Kida wants us to come and talk to her right away. She's worried about something, and keeps pacing around her room. She had summoned you, but when you didn't come she asked me to find you. I've been running since early this morning."

"Do you need to take a break? I'm very sorry for making you run to find me."

"Don't worry about it, and I'm fine. We need to get there soon. She wanted us to find our clothing from when we first came."

Both Kayley and Yuna had switch their clothing for something the local people would be more comfortable seeing them in. They'd both tucked their clothing away for the time that they would leave. Now they were in the place they'd tucked them away, a small cave that no one ever disturbed. They changed quickly. Yuna was wearing her Japanese styled dress. It was a long blue kilt-like skirt, with another piece of cloth that hung around her neck and crossed each other over her black bra. It was kept in place was a gold cloth, tied in the back. On her arms were two pieces of long white fabric that turned pink. They were tied with a blue string just above her elbow. She also wore a necklace, and a special belt, which was made from thread, and went through a pink flower like decoration. When she moved, beads that were hanging from nearly everything knocked together. She also wore black boots.

Kayley wore a pale pule body suit. Over top she wore matching pants. She wore a tanned colour shirt, with sleeves that stop 3/4 of the way down her arms. Over top she wore a long purple tunic, with a red belt. She wore simple tan ankle boots. Her hair was pulled back with a tan head ban, than pulled into a ponytail. The girls carried a weapon each, Yuna with her Summoner's staff, and Kayley with a shield that she'd brought from her world. They were both prepared for the worst, or the news that they had found a way for them to return home.

Coco stirred silently, and shivered. It was a cold night, much like the one from her dream. She was surprised that no one was up and about, talking quietly about what needed to be done. The dream had been a strange one, where she was fighting a large monster from a previous dream, with an unusual key. Not wanting to open her eyes, she moved her hand around, trying to find where she'd kicked the sleeping bag during the night. Her hand meet stone, it was extremely smooth, not rough like the stones on Moonlight Island. She continued to let her hand wander, until she touched smooth wood that only broke slightly for more wood. Now she knew something wasn't right, and that she was no longer in her world.

Her eyes shoot opened, and darted around. No longer was she surrounded by trees that seemed to reach out at her during the night, but the cold stone walls of high buildings. Her breath caught in her throat, and it seemed that her heart skipped a beat. Her emotions that had been numb only hours before started to defrost, and hit her all at once. She couldn't figure out what she was feeling at all, than slowly she started to sort through it. She knew nearly right away that she was upset. She'd lost her home, her family, her friends, and the life she'd known forever. Followed quickly by that was anger. More and more she could identify the different emotions in the mixture. The strangest one for her was the sense of satisfaction that she held.

Finally she had sorted through her emotions, and had put them all behind her. She chose to keep the feelings of satisfaction and determination with her, if only to help her get through this new experience, and past the pain. She carefully got up, not feeling the key that she'd found in her hand earlier. It didn't matter to her though, she knew it was somewhere close by, but she couldn't explain how she knew it. It was much like the odd sense of knowledge that Lianna and Drago were somewhere else. She quickly readjusted her cloak, making it cover her outfit completely. Quickly and quietly she stood up, and carefully walked out of the small alley that she'd found herself in. Before she entered the street, she spotted a black bag, big enough to hold her stuff in, but small enough to be discreet if she wrapped it around her waist. She picked it up, and tied it around her waist, so that her cloaked covered the bag, and it looked like a string belt.

Music floated to her ears, as bright lights filled her vision. Thought all those things were there, she couldn't believe the amount of people she saw. They were of every different colour, wore many different types of clothing, spoke many languages, but all was understood. It was a huge open-air market place, and it sold things that Coco had never even seen before. The moment she stepped into the crowd, they swept her away. Vaguely she heard the sound of crying drifting from somewhere, but it was replaced by someone singing, only to be overridden by someone laughing. For the islander girl, it was as if there were thousands and thousands of people. Now she was being shoved out into a more desert place, still many people, but not like the market.

Stores lined the streets, their banners bright and cheerful, even in the dead of night. People gazed into the stores, or sat on benches. It was easy to tell if someone had a lot of money, or very little by what they wore. Something started to bubble inside her, and could best be described as hope. It was faint but it was there. The logical part of her mind was telling her that Lia and Drago were likely to be there, seeing as how she was. All she had to do was find them, and this town was huge.

'Maybe, just maybe, someone has seen Drago or Lia. I hope they have, it will make my life so much easier.'

Somewhere in the corner of her mind, she could have sworn she heard the voice from her dream, laughing at her for the thought of her life being much simpler than it was. She shook the small unclear voice away, and opened the doors to a shop, after giving the rest of the area a quick glance. She had chosen the shop because it had a bottle with a sprig of herbs behind it. She grinned, seeing the universal emblem of an Apothecary.

- -

Notes:

1) I'll be using different filming companies, as well as books for the different worlds. If the place belongs to something other than Disney of Square Enix, it will be stated here.

2) Yuna is from Final Fantasy X and X-2, for those who don't know Final Fantasy.

3)Atlantis. This particular one, is from the movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire. It belongs to Disney.

4)Milo Thatch, Disney, Atlantis: The Lost Empire

5)Kida, Disney, Atlantis: The Lost Empire

6) Kayley (also spelled Kaley on the movie box) is from Quest to Camelot, which is owned by Waner Bros.

_Readers Responses:_

**Viktor Mayrin**: Yes, its seems that we do massive updates. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure this chapter is on the shorter side, but that's because of my book. Hopefully you're happy that this is redone.

**Amber (Heart of Friendship):** Thank you for the praise, it's on of those things I can't help but love. You may one day see a book out by me. I like your stories, please update soon, even if I don't get the chance to review or read it right away. School seems to be the least of my problems though, life (or is it fate?) Has thrown me some unexpected twists.

**Vortex Inferno: **Better late than never. As for my characters, I know that they were seemingly all the same, but this will change from now on. Try to think of it as everything you've known up till now has vanished. As for new character like that, I plan on keeping that in mind, with twist. I'll need a new character for the future. I mean, I don't have Ansem's counter-part yet. It will most likely be an original character, either done by myself (very unlikely) or by me opening it up to my readers (through email of course). I updated this chapter, I hope it doesn't seems like it did before

Well, my website has gone to the dumps, but this fanfic hasn't. My updates may be less and less, because of my book writing. Until next time everyone.

_Song Magic_


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